Trisha could have been killed. Rage gripped him at the thought. She’d definitely been hurt. The smell of her blood still lingered in his memory despite the horrible gas smell. He half hoped one or two of the assholes who’d attacked them tracked them. He’d love to kill the bastards for harming her.
A huge mass of rock stopped his progress as he peered up a twenty-foot wall. The SUV had dropped from above. The sight made him realize how lucky they’d been to survive. The front of the vehicle had taken most of the damage but if they’d hit it on the side… He shivered. Trisha would have died.
The memory of trying to grab her, to shield her body with his through the worst of the crash would haunt him. She’d been torn from his hold at the end when his head had smashed into metal. It had dazed him enough to make his body go limp. It terrified him to realize how close she’d come to being ejected when he saw she’d ended up in the very back of the SUV.
The human male at the wheel should have been stronger, tougher, and driven them to safety. Instead fear and panic had gripped Bart until he’d lost control of the situation and crashed the vehicle. He clenched his teeth.
He should have insisted upon driving but Justice had wanted a human at the wheel to draw less attention. The tinted windows shielded the sight of Slade from passing vehicles on the road. He swore that was the last time he followed that certain order again. He’d be the one to drive if Trisha traveled in another SUV.
Gratitude gripped him over demanding he ride with Trisha. The idea of her having been attacked without him there left him cold inside. He continued to scan the area above, watching for any signs of their attackers. Humans would follow the path of destruction to locate them. Perhaps they assumed they’d died.
He relaxed. His people would realize they had met trouble when they didn’t arrive soon. It would be dark before help arrived but he could keep Trisha alive regardless of how long it took his people to find them.
A sound reached him and a small rain of dirt trickled to his far left. He instantly honed his senses.
“Fuck,” a male voice cursed. “I need gloves.”
“Be happy we had some rope. Think they died?”
“I’m not leaving it to chance,” yet another male voice stated. “We need to find the bodies to prove we killed those animal freaks. We’ll take pictures with our cell phones.”
“I hope these hold. Are you sure our combined weight won’t snap the ropes?” The man who spoke had a slight accent. “Did they have to go off the road here? It’s pretty rough terrain.”
Slade spun, moved fast, and hid behind trees to get a better fix on the sound from far above. He spotted six males, all in various states of dress, but the thing they shared in common was the shotguns secured to their backs. His lips parted, his fangs flashed, but he held back the growl that threatened to burst forth at the sight of his enemies.
He could fight them, lie in wait to attack, but what if he failed? He’d lost his weapon during the crash. He couldn’t shoot any of them to even out the numbers. It would leave Trisha defenseless against them if he failed to kill all of the men before they took him out with bullets. Humans would have her at their mercy.
A soft snarl got past him as he spun to quickly return to her. He wouldn’t take any chances with her life. Bart didn’t strike him as a tough enough male to travel with injuries. As he moved quickly but quietly, to avoid alerting the men above him to his presence, he came to a grim decision.
He’d have to leave the human security guard behind if Bart refused to flee. Trisha might protest. She had a soft heart but regardless of what it took, Slade would save her. Even if he had to knock her out and carry her over his shoulder. Determination made him travel faster to reach her.
* * * * *
“We have to move now,” Slade growled suddenly from behind Trisha.
She jumped and twisted her head, wincing. Her shoulder screamed in protest at the sudden motion. “What’s wrong?”“Six men are on their way down to us. They have ropes and guns with them. I think that’s what took them this long to try to come down. It’s steep where we flew off the road.”
“Maybe it’s help.” Bart sounded hopeful.
“With shotguns strapped to their backs?” Slade snapped. “Give me a break. They will be here soon.” Slade spun. “Get up. I’m grabbing what I found that may be useful for us to survive and we’re going on the move. It will be dark soon and that will help us lose them.”
Trisha struggled to stand and tried to get Bart to take her hand to pull him to his feet with his good arm. He adamantly shook his head.
“No. I’ll stay here. It’s got to be those anti New Species people. I’ll just tell them I’m human and they’ll get me help.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Trisha gasped. “They tried to kill us and you think telling them you’re human is going to matter to those types?”
“They hate New Species and I’m sure that’s why we were attacked. Maybe they even thought I was driving Justice North. They really hate him.”
Slade came back carrying Trisha’s overnight bag. He moved to Trisha and dropped it over her head and under her arm similar to a sling without asking first. He avoided resting the strap on her sore shoulder. It surprised her that he’d obviously noticed her favoring that side. He looked furious as he glared at Bart.
“We’re leaving. I think they will kill you so get your ass up and move if you want to live.” Slade snarled the words. “You’re going to die if you stay here, kid. I don’t have time to hold your hand while you try to find your brain. I won’t lose my life or hers standing here reasoning with you. Get on your feet.”
Bart glared back at Slade. “I’m human and they aren’t going to hurt me. They will call me an ambulance.”
“You’ll die but I don’t have time to argue. You were warned. I tried and that’s all I can do for you.” Slade turned and cupped Trisha’s face in his large hand, forcing her to look up at him. His intense gaze met hers. “We need to move fast and put distance between us and them. You are limping and I’m going to carry you on my back. I’d put you in front of me in my arms but it’s rough terrain and I’ll need my hands free. Don’t argue with me, Doc. They are coming. We’ll die if we stay.”
Trisha had to agree. She had no doubt those men were dangerous. “Okay.”
Slade turned his back to her and crouched down. He twisted his head to peer at her and opened his arms at his sides. “Climb on.”
She hadn’t gotten a piggyback ride since she’d been a little girl. She didn’t hesitate though as she climbed onto Slade’s back. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, making sure she wasn’t about to choke him and he gripped her thighs at his hips as he rose. Trisha stared at Bart on the ground.
“Come with us. Please?”
“They aren’t going to hurt me. I’ll call Homeland when I reach a hospital. I’ll tell them what happened and they’ll send help for you.”
“Last chance,” Slade growled as he turned away from the SUV. “Follow us or die.”
He moved quickly through the dense trees, not waiting for Bart to respond. Trisha held on.
Chapter Four
Slade shifted Trisha’s weight slightly. She looped her arms over his shoulders, trying to support her weight and not slide down his back. He had lifted her higher up onto his back, hooked his arms under her bent knees, and locked his hands together at his waist.
“You could put me down. I can walk. My knee isn’t that bad.”
“You’re fine. I want to make another mile before the sun is totally down. We’ll keep moving for as long as there is light for them to track us.”
The sky filled with pink streaks above them as the sun lowered. The wind picked up and blew chilly air at them from behind. Trisha was cold on her back but was toasty warm down the front of her body where it pressed against Slade. Her arms hurt from holding onto him and she tried to ignore the achy muscles between her thighs. She wasn’t used to straddling something for a long period of time.
“You have to be getting tired, Slade. Come on. Put me down. I’m heavy. I know you are strong but this is a bit much. You said that we’ve covered a few miles so far. At least slow your pace. You’re going to wear yourself out.”
“Shut up,” he ordered. “I’m trying to concentrate by telling myself you aren’t there. You screw that up every time you talk.”
“Thanks.”
“That wasn’t an insult but you aren’t as light as a feather. I’m trying to forget you are there to convince my brain my muscles aren’t aching.”
She bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“Shut up,” he sighed.
She refrained from speaking as she darted a glance around the area. Slade really could move, walking faster than she could jog with his long legs. He only slowed down when they climbed uphill or if he had to get them both over a fallen log. They’d had to do that twice.
“BOOM!” Pause. “BOOM! BOOM!”
“What was that?” Trisha’s heart raced.
Slade stopped, tilted his head at a slight angle, and tensed. “They must have found Bart.”
“Those were gunshots, right?”